CHEZ NOUS
Chez Nous reflects the world as seen by Chris Keulen during his many wanderings through Limburg and the Meuse-Rhine region over the past three years. With the eyes of a detached local, Keulen depicts the life of his motherland. His road story through his own back garden has been published as a book of photographs: Chez Nous.
Chez Nous (160 pages, 71 full color, size 370x255mm ISBN 978-90-78213-11-6) with an essay from curator Emmanuel d’Autreppe (written in dutch, french, german and english), costs € 35.
press:
"Was für ein Geschenk! (…) Was für ein wohltuender Gegensatz zu den oft so verstörenden, gewaltvollen Bildern, die ich gerade erst in der Hamburger World-Press-Photo-Ausstellung gesehen habe. Auch Chris Keulen hat diesen renommierten Fotografiepreis schon zweimal gewonnen, mit Motiven aus Afrika. Doch in den vergangenen drei Jahren hat er “nur” den Nahraum seiner Heimat Maastricht durchstreift, das Dreiländereck zwischen den Niederlanden, Belgien und Deutschland. Egal ob Landschaft, Prozession oder Kneipe: Im scheinbar so Vertrauten hat er das Eigenwillige, Komische und zutiefst Menschliche gefunden. Wären diese Bilder in einem fernen Land entstanden, würden wir sie vielleicht “exotisch” nennen, “Ethnologenmaterial”. Aber Keulen Buch heiszt ‘Chez Nous’, bei uns." (Ines Possemeyer in Geo)
"Drie jaar lang trok Keulen door zijn geboortestreek. Het leverde een grensoverschrijdende staalkaart op van de condition humaine." (Wido Smeets in Zuiderlucht)
“Door zijn fotoreeks 'Chez Nous' te durven noemen is het duidelijk dat Chris Keulen ons niet meer meeneemt naar Afrika (…) Nee, hij vertelt ons over hier, over nu, over ons en zeker een beetje over hemzelf.” (Emmanuel d’Autreppe)
“'Chez Nous' is een walhalla aan absurditeit: wonderlijke magie, veroorzaakt door de spagaat tussen de moderne tijd en het vasthouden aan tradities.” (Olga van Ditzhuijzen in Shutr)
"Fotograaf Chris Keulen probeerde het broeierig-duistere en tegelijk warm-saamhorige van zijn Limburg in beeld te vatten. Hij slaagde glansrijk." (Arno Haijtema in de Volkskrant)
Just a few copies left! Click here to order the book
LE TOUR D'AFRIQUE
'As if you breathe in hot splinters of glass’, that is how cycling in Senegal feels, according to former cycle racer Peter Winnen. For five years, photographer Chris Keulen followed the main cycling races of Africa, in Senegal, Cameroon, Eritrea and twice in Burkina Faso.
He received the first prize at the World Press Photo competition (sport series) for his pictures from Burkina Faso and the third prize at the World Press Photo competition (sport series) for his pictures from Eritrea.
Hot splinters of glass shows Africa at its best. Not pictures of a lost continent, but images of power, dreams and ambition. ‘Cycling in Africa is like delightfully losing your way on earth. It’s losing yourself in your overheated thoughts and coming unstuck against contrasts. It is rediscovering the kind of cycling that we lost sometime ago. It is authentic, but let’s not forget that the Africans would gratefully leave this authenticity behind them.’
press:
"Keulen followed the Tour du Faso throughout its 13 stages as if he were one of the competitors, often sleeping in the same hotel rooms as them, sometimes with up to 12 people jammed into a single room. He got up at five every morning with the cyclists and had to endure average temperatures of 40C in his quest to capture the magic of the tour. (The Observer, March 2001)
"Deels in zwart-wit gefotografeerd lijken de beelden van Keulen enigszins op die van de beroemde oorlogsfotograaf Robert Capa, die de Tour de France in 1939 in wart-wit vastlegde." (Rolf Bos, Volkskrant 24 mei 2008)
Hot splinters of glass; le tour d'Afrique (160 pages, bw and full color, size 24x30 cm, ISBN/EAN: 978-90–77386-05-7) with an essay of Peter Winnen (in dutch, english and french) is nearly sold out. Only 30 copies left.
RWANDA, LAND ZONDER HORIZON
Rwanda, a country without a horizon. The first two years after the genocide (1995-1996), journalist Jeroen Corduwener and Chris Keulen travelled through the country. Looking for construction, they discovered chaos, pain, fear, loneliness and everybody seemed to be on the move.
'Rwanda, land zonder horizon' (144 pages, 17x24cm, 144 pages, ISBN 902542127) is sold out.